Free agency the second time around proved different, less stressful and exponentially more rewarding for James Posey. He wasted little time in cashing on his burnished image as consummate glue guy, role player extraordinaire and overall locker-room gray eminence by signing with the New Orleans Hornets for four years and $25-plus million.

New Orleans' gain is Boston's loss, for Posey played an integral part in the Celtics' first NBA championship in 22 years. "Without James Posey, there is no championship,'' Danny Ainge said. He's right about that. But the Celtics were unwilling to go to four years out of the mid-level exception slot for Posey and, as the 31-year-old forward had insisted all along, "this is a business."...